She's a lady
by The Poisoned Quill
Summary: They both hate eachother, or that's what they tell themselves. But when they meet again, one look changes everything, stubborn minds clash, and niether want to admit the truth. But when destiny steps in, noone has a choice. Terrible summary. Jareth/Sarah
1. Chapter 1

He'd kill her, he swore an oath right then and there. The next time he saw her he'd kill her. She'd ruined him, made him something he wasn't. And for that she'd have to pay, the price was blood.

Alone at last, she cleaned up the confetti and mess that her friends had left her with. She was thankful it was over, the rush of her day was coming to an end. Inside she swore bitterly, it was all his fault. There was no way to explain this all to anybody, and she could only blame him

How was she supposed to tell her brother the truth when he got older? He'd remember parts, that much she already knew. But he'd want the full story eventually. She could only blame Jareth now for the fact that her brother would hate her in a year or two. She'd get her revenge, she vowed angrily, the moment she saw him again, she'd get him.

And she knew that would be sooner than either of them would care for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, this section is very loosely based on the song she's a lady by Forever the Sickness. Not really important, but something I found interesting. **

**Disclaimer: There is no real reason for me to tell you I don't own labyrinth, that I'm sure you've gathered by now. I do, however, own the plot bunnies that attacked me with this one.**

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She brushed out her hair, left it down as always. With a sigh, she stared at the same reflection she'd seen for two years. From down stairs her stepmother called out to her, informing her that she'd be late for school. Launching from her chair, she couldn't get out of the house fast enough.

School was about a five minute walk, something she found useful seeing as she could run there in one. As she skidded into her first hour, she picked a seat near the back of the room. She pulled out a notebook and pretended to pay attention to the speaker. Focus was something she used to be so proud of, now she just couldn't consentrate.

She'd changed so much since she left the Underground, and that bugged her more. One more thing to add to her lists of reasons to claw Jareth's eyes out. She liked who she'd been, to a point. But now, she just didn't feel right, this wasn't where she was supposed to be. Even more so today, something buzzed in the air and only she could feel it.

She tried to shrug it off, but a small part of her was screaming. It was the same thing two years ago, and that had ended up poorly. Was it any coincidence though, two years to the day?

"Sarah?" The teacher called her name from the front of the room. She snapped back quickly, looked up at him with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry." She pretended to fumble a little, "I didn't hear the question." He stared at her for a minute before his eyes warmed.

"That's quite understandable. The question is, why do we celebrate the fourth of July when in all actuallity, the declaration of independence wasn't completely signed until sometime in august?"

"Oh," She smiled, her father's favorite subject. "Because July fourth was the day congress approved the wording on the Declaration of Independence."

"Very good." The teacher nodded before continuing with his questioning. She sighed in relief, relaxing into her chair. A minute later, she realized she'd been drawing all hour. It was probably a bunch of scribbles but sometimes it turned out pretty cool.

Casually glancing down, her gut tightened and all of the color drained out of her face. She couldn't have drawn that, it wasn't possible. Even if she was that good, she'd never draw something that disgusting. Staring up at her was a perfect sketch of her and Jareth.

His chin rested on her shoulder as she leaned into him, his arms were wrapped around her. They both smiled up at her, warm and there was an atmosphere of love surrounding the two.

Foolish, ridiculous, she told herself as she quickly turned the page. It must be some trick. But the buzzing continued and her mind wandered back to the picture. Why would she have drawn something like that. She had no reason. She hated the man. Obviously something in the air. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the lesson, needing to pay attention almost desperately.

She'd kill him, she was still certain of that. And this only added one more reason.


	3. Chapter 3

**Listening to angry music actually helps write this kind of stuff, I don't like thinking things like this. So yeah.**

**No, I don't own anything that I didn't last time, for the record.**

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He stormed through the crowd of goblins with a vengance. His head was pounding and he wanting nothing more than to be alone. All morning there'd been this buzzing in his head, getting louder by the second.

The buzzing was constant, like it'd always been there. But it hadn't, he'd only ever felt it once and he was thrown into madness that night. It couldn't be a coincident that two year ago to the day he'd been trying to prevent Sarah from reaching the castle.

With an angry he couldn't explain, he threw a goblin out of his path. Others scattered away as he made his way to his throne. He knew he'd frightened them, something he did rarely, but he couldn't find it in him to care. Almost casually, he pulled a crystal out of the air and began to twirl it around his hand.

It struck him as funny, he was not one to do something absent mindedly, but that was what he did when his head hurt. For only a brief second, he wondered about Sarah, what she was like, what she was doing now. Passing it off as a side effect of his headache, he distracted himself by looking into his crystal.

He saw Hoggle, he was cleaning up in the small hut he now shared with Ludo and Sir Didymus. They were all getting along and he found it nesicary to look in on them once and a while. After all, they were smart enough and loyal enough, they may just find a way to bring Sarah back to the Underground.

That couldn't happen, he wouldn't allow it. She wasn't welcome here, he'd send her back the moment she arrived. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Maybe, just maybe, she was smart enough to stay away.

The crystal suddenly seemed hot in his hand, it almost burned. Curious to what could be so completely urgent, he turned his attention back to it.

_It was him, he was walking fast toward someone, there was a small smile on his face. When she turned and saw him, he grinned._

Jareth's stomach tightened as he watched the scene unfold before him.

_Sarah, it was Sarah who beamed back at him. She was standing there in jeans and a blouse, and the next moment she was running toward him. He caught her, held her against him. In that instant, he felt at home._

Wretching himself away from the image, his fury overtook him. He threw the crystal, watched as it smashed against the wall and fell into shards of broken glass. That was new, he laughed darkly, he didn't know he could break a crystal, this was the first time he'd tried.

But he wanted to do more than break a crystal, he wanted to kill someone. That was disgusting, to think that he'd ever fall for a girl like that. No, it was probably brought on by the headache that had started to dull a bit.

That's all it was, he shrugged it off and gazed out the window. A headache. The buzzing continued and he groaned. He'd claim sabotage but that would be nearly impossible. She'd find a way to do it though, and in his state he imagined that she probably did. It was ridiculous, and he knew it. But it gave him another reason to hate her. The more the merrier, with his anger aimed at the right person again, he knew he'd kill her the moment he saw her. When and if he saw her.

But he knew it would be soon.


	4. Chapter 4

School was finally over, she ran straight up to her room. She was in no way able to make conversation. Too angry, too confused. In her room, she was able to breathe again. The first thing she did was tear out that page in her notebook and throw it away. His face stared up at her as she lit a match, grateful that her trash bin was metal.

With satisfaction, she watched as the papers below it burned. It would only be a minute before the flame reached it. She sat down at her desk, turned back to her math. After an hour, she had completed her problems with many false starts. Who knew geometry could be so hard. Relieved to be done, she went to throw away her scrap paper.

In the bottom of the metal bin, the drawing sat in perfect condition. She gasped, grabbed it out and examined it. The edges weren't even burned, she didn't understand, why wouldn't it burn? Irritated and stubborn, she crumpled it up and threw it across the room. That was nothing, compared to what she saw when she glanced back down.

There, where the paper sat, was a crystal. Now more angry than irritated, she yanked it up looked at it. Careful not to look directly into it, she grimaced then look away, it was one of his, she was sure of it. But how had it gotten here?

Something caught her eye in the mirror and her gaze snapped up. Jareth stared back at her, a grim expression on his face. She couldn't tell if she was imagining it or if he was really staring at her. After all, her friends had talked to her through a mirror that night. Still, she couldn't have him here. With all her strength she threw the crystal at him, watched in satisfaction as the mirror broke. Turning to go downstairs so that she could tell her parents that she fell into her mirror and managed to get up unharmed. She didn't see the crystal bounce back and slam into the back of her head.

The pain slammed into her a few seconds later, and her vision darkened.

He sat in his window and stared out, trying to block the buzzing in his head. The stars were out, they only made the sky even more beautiful. Goblin City was bustling, lots of goblins liked to celebrate life at night. The sky lit up in a flash of white light, then the light was gone an instant later. As the goblins stopped to see the show, he stood up. The light continued to pulsate, now in different colors. As they watched, there was one last flash of white light and it was gone, along with the buzzing in his head.

Something was up, and whatever it was, it was linked to Sarah. It was linked to the buzzing in his head that had only ever happened once before, and it was linked to what he saw in the crystal. Who knows, maybe it was even connected to the way it broke. All he knew was that it was connected and he was majorly pissed.


	5. Chapter 5

She blinked, let her surroundings come into focus. The daylight filtered through a plain brown window and someone had placed flowers in a small glass next to a picture frame. Rotating her head, she tried to remember where she was and how she'd gotten there.

The room was neat, the bed plush and neat. Who ever owned it obviously liked warm woodsey tones. The blanket that covered her was a beautiful, friendly green and the walls were made from Cherry wood.

Where was she? She sat up and groaned when her head began to throb. Carefully she got up. From outside the door she could hear commotion and voices. She couldn't be positive, but she thought she recognized them.

She couldn't really be here, could she? It didn't seem right, she was in her room. This had to be a dream. But as she smelled the things she wouldn't ever forget she felt at home. Walking over to the window, she picked up the photograph.

Her, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus sat in a group, grinning on her bed. This would have been taken by one of the goblins that came to party two years ago. She had one just like it, although she never took it out. So that wrapped it up in her mind, she was back.

The two sides of her warred. One half of her wanted to run, find a way back home and forget again. But the other part of her was curious, wanting to see her friends more than anything else in the world. As that side won out, she stepped out of the bedroom, scanned the area around her.

It was a plain room, some chairs were scattered around and a table in the corner. Around the table were the three greatest people in her life. Ludo, with his warm orange fur and goofy grin, Hoggle, the small dwarf that was a grouch and a coward, and Sir Didymus, the small dog with no sense of smell and an overwhelming amount of courage. They didn't even notice her as she walked over to them. Whatever conversation they were having, they were deep into it.

It was great to see them getting along so well, although she had no doubt that under normal circumstances they'd never have even talked to each other. Ludo laughed, her heart warmed, she couldn't hate being here anymore. Not with them around. Over come with love for her friends, she wrapped her arms around Ludo, startling him as the others laughed.

"It's so great to see you." She squeezed him for a second before moving on to Hoggle.

"We've missed you, Sarah." Hoggle patted her arm, a little unsure of the sudden contact. Then again, she'd kissed him so this shouldn't really bother him. "We thought you weren't going to come back."

She hugged Sir Didymus before stepping away and getting serious. "I didn't intend to, Hoggle. It just sort of happened."

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look at him. "We know, Sarah. And we couldn't blame you. If I left, I wouldn't ever come back."

"Thank you." She smiled quietly, hugging him again. Arms wrapped around her and she laughed. Adjusting her position, she allowed Ludo into the hug while Sir Didymus squeezed between them.

Hoggle tensed, Sarah froze, Sir Didymus growled, and Ludo remained unaware. There was a presence in the air, they weren't alone. With a groan, she turned to face the only person that could ruin a moment like this.


	6. Chapter 6

He was ready to release hell on her when he walked into the hut. That thought vaporized as she spun toward him, that almond hair flew around her shoulders, drawing attention to the subtle beauty of her face. There was a glint of fury in her eyes as she met his eyes.

She prepared to give him a piece of her mind, stopped as she saw him. She'd almost forgotten, or maybe she just hadn't noticed, the way his sharp cheek bones accented the severe look that made his face both charming and frightening. Magic eyes looked like they could pierce through her skin.

She couldn't think, everything she'd wanted to say to him dissolved. Her heart was racing in her chest and she couldn't find it in her to hate him. No, she had to stay angry, that was the best way to handle him. For support, she reached for Ludo's hand, placed her other hand on Sir Didymus' shoulder.

"Hello, Sarah." He broke the silence. She shivered, he seemed angry and calculating as always.

"Jareth." she nodded curtly, two could play at that game.

"I don't think you should be here, your welcome ran out a long time ago." He stepped closer, as if to intimidate her. She looked into his eyes and was determined to stand her ground. She hoped it'd only be a second before she remembered why she hated him.

"Well," She shrugged, ran her hand through Sir Didymus' fur in a show of disinterest. "You always have been an idiot."

"Sarah." His tone instantly reminded her of her reasons, he talked to her like a misbehaved child. And she would not be spoken to as such, not anymore.

"Don't 'Sarah' me." She said through clenched teeth, " We're both adults, we should be able to behave as such. Now, I am not here to harm you. In fact, I would rather have nothing to do with you, if it's all the same."

Damn her, did she have to look so good as she lectured him? How was he supposed to react to that? He shook his head as if to clear it, he couldn't let a simple girl like her mess him up. "No." He spoke finally. "We won't ignore eachother, I'm almost certain of it."

The vision in the crystal came back to him, as hard and fast as a bullet. The image of her in his arms. He wanted that, he hadn't when he saw it, but he wanted that now. She, however, didn't want to be a part of his life in any aspect.

From a few feet away, she stiffened. Hoggle pulled on her sleeve to get her attention. "Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just my imagination probably." She shook it off. _Go away Jareth, please, go away._ She begged in her head.

"I'm leaving." Jareth sighed quietly, turning toward the door. "Shocking, you were the last person I expected to beg. Not when you could simply ask."

"I don't beg, and certainly not to you." She glared at him, humiliated that he'd think she would ever go low enough to grovel.

"Don't be funny, we all heard you." Jareth looked over his shoulder, happy to have an exuse to look at her again. Now he let his eyes explore the rest of her, instead of just her face. She'd matured, the almost innocent figure she'd had as a sixteen year old was now the body of a woman. He wanted her in the way a man wanted a lover. He'd almost forgotten that they weren't alone until Hoggle stepped out, furious.

"She didn't say a word to you." Hoggle insisted as his hand thrusted onto his hips. "I was talking to her."

"Wait." Sarah sighed as she tried to put things together. "Jareth's right, Hoggle. I did beg, but I didn't speak it. I thought it."


	7. Chapter 7

**In case you didn't get it, Sarah saw what Jareth was thinking too, she just didn't realize it. A couple of people didn't get that. **

**Obviously I don't own labyrinth, and that sucks. **

**Sorry this ones so short, it's all in the plan, ha ha.**

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"This is not good." He sighed, tried to step forward. She put her hand out to stop him.

"I know that, which is why you need to leave. Now." She walked around him to what she assumed was the front door and threw it open.

He rolled his eyes, "Sarah."

"No!" She whirled back around, Ludo jumped from behind them. "Whatever's going on, I don't want to deal with it. It'll go away if you leave!"

"It might not work that way." He shook his head, walked over to her and took her hand. When she didn't flinch away he relaxed a little. "You can't just turn from this because you hate me, it's impossible to run from."

She looked up at him, there was no hope in her eyes anymore, no defiance. She suddenly looked fragile and he wanted to sweep her away to somewhere he could protect her from this. Her voice was soft, almost heartbreaking. "What is it that I can't run from?"

"I'm not sure yet." He reached out to touch her cheek, she flinched away. No, she wasn't ready to be that close to him. "I will find out though, you'll know as soon as I do."

"I believe you." She nodded, stepped away from him and glanced over at Hoggle. "If you don't mind, I'd like to spend some time with my friends." She walked around him and took Ludo's hand. Jareth nodded silently before walking out.

"You ok?" Hoggle asked her as she fumbled for a chair.

"I don't know, I really don't know." She buried her head in her hands. It'd been sudden, she didn't even know where it came from. One minute she was glaring at Jareth, the next she was watching him walk toward her somewhere else. It couldn't have been her, she'd never imagined something like that. Another symptom of whatever else was going on? Who knew. "You guys don't mind if I stay with you for a while, do you?"

"Sarah." Hoggle laughed, "This house belongs to you as much as it does to us."  
"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek before standing up to give kisses to the others as well.

That night she volenteered to make dinner. Cooking gave her time to clear her head, she was too busy consentrating to think. But every once and a while her mind would go back to Jareth. Idly she wondered what he did in that castle all day. Her heart sank as she realized that he probably prefered to be alone, it was the way his kind was. She didn't know why that saddened her, but she brushed it off as she turned back to the food. Within an hour she'd successfully made chicken alfredo.


	8. Chapter 8

Two years later

She was kneeling down in the garden by the back door. It'd become her favorite past time, weeding and consentrating on only the flowers. The variety here was so different than the plants she grew up with, more exotic.

Her hair had become lighter, with gold streaks in it, and it was wavy. She wore slacks and a large button down shirt as she gardened, there was no real need for a hat so she let her hair hang down around her face. Time changes people and it changed her.

She was now perfectly settled in with her friends, they made an interesting little family. The days went by and life had become routine for her. And that was great, she loved to have somewhere she could feel at home.

He watched her from a distance, not wanting to startle her. Everything he'd remembered about her paled in comparison to seeing her for real. She leaned back up and closed her eyes as the sun warmed her face. Her skin seemed to glow, a new golden tone that came from spending time under the sun. With a relaxed sigh, she set her gardening tools down on the dirt.

There was silence for a moment, a chance second where they could both breathe easy. "Were you planning to speak or were you just going to stare at my back all day?" Sarah wiped her hands on her pants before standing.

He smiled a little, there was no denying a face like that. "I hadn't decided yet."

She laughed before she let the smile fade. He was here for business, she reminded herself, nothing more. As soon as they got this figured out he'd be out of her life again. That was the way it should be, nothing good could come from thier friendship. Looking at him she realized time had done nothing to him, he looked exactly the same as always. "It's been a while."

"Two years, it was harder than I expected but I think I know what's going on." He stepped toward her, waited for her to meet him halfway.

Her arms were wrapped around herself now, he made her nervous and she didn't like it. She nodded, focused only on the words. "That's good."

"You should walk with me." He offered her a hand but when she just started walking, he shrugged. He kept the pace casual, walking as two old friends who'd never said a foul word against eachother would.

After a minute of silence she looked over at him and smirked a little. "You need to speak soon, or this is going to get very boring."

He nodded and tried not to smile at her impatience. She'd waited two years, she certainly should be able to wait another minute. "I tried to find an easier explaination, but I kept coming back to one. It explains everything, well, almost everything that's happened between us. There was a myth, an old child's tale really. It talks about a man who went by the name of Fate and throughout the years he went around making connections. Some people became enemies, others close friends, and even a few soul mates. Depending on the power of thier connection, they could develop a sense of knowing. They wouldn't even have to say a word, it was so natural." They'd made it full circle and were starting around again.

"And you think some insane man decided one day to just magically hook us together in any of those catagories?" She rolled her eyes before making a bold move. She poked him in the head to make her point, a glint of defiance and challange in her eyes. "I think you've completely lost everything up here."

"It all fits, the fact that you don't like it doesn't mean that it's not real." He pushed her up against the wall, gently holding her there as she stood in shock. "I heard you, several times. You can't tell me it wasn't the same for you, not honestly."

She didn't know if she liked being so closed to him. Not that she didn't enjoy it, but she couldn't think clearly. Her eyes kept wandering to his lips, lingering there as he spoke. She wondered what it would feel like to have his lips against hers, even just for a moment. What it would be like to let herself go.

"Yes." She managed when she thought her voice would be steady. "It was."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while, ideas stopped coming to me, thankfully I have some now so there should be more chapters really soon. Thank you for your patience. Disclaimer: I do not blah, blah, blah, ...**

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Her breath caught in her chest, suddenly aware of how close they truely were. His eyes met hers, there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes almost instantly replaced by desire. He leaned in, stopping only an inch away from her face. "You terrify me, Sarah, utterly and completely."

His breath was warm against her cheek, he smelled of masculinity and magic. She fought the urge to do something rash by fisting her hands at her side. "I don't think I understand. How can I scare you? It shouldn't be possible."

"Is it really so hard to believe? This." He whispered as his lips caught hers. His hands rested at her hips and pulled her closer as they both felt the heat building. She moaned as his passion rushed over her, every nerve seemed to sizzle where ever he touched her. He scraped his teeth along her jaw gently, causing her to shiver slightly beneath him. "I've never wanted anybody the way I want you."

"We can't do this." She protested even as her mouth raced to meet his again, her pulse hammered in her head. Her hands rested on his chest, tracing his skin where his neckline stopped with her fingertips. The door slammed shut and they froze. Jareth looked down at her, she was shocked and somewhat terrified by her own behavior.

"Jareth and Sarah friends now?" Ludo stood gawking at them, a kite in his hands. Shaking her head, Sarah pushed at Jareth until he let go of her.

"Something like that." She blushed as she walked over to him, only glad that it wasn't Hoggle who came out. "Were you looking for me, Ludo?"

He nodded his big furry head with a confused frown. "Ludo need Sarah's help."

She was relieved, anything to give her body some recovery time, although it might take a year. Carefully she lifted the kite out of his hands. "Well, we'll need the handle, do you know where it is?"

He went back into the house, much to her dismay, and left her alone again with Jareth. He started toward her but she shook her head, suddenly felt very foolish and awquard. "That wasn't right and it's not going to happen again."

He ignored what she wished and stood in front of her, afraid that if he touched her he'd lose control. "His voice was a cool, frustrated again that sent chills down her spine. "Your telling me that you can just walk away from that?"

"My family wouldn't like it." She shrugged, it was easier pretending that she didn't care than admitting to herself that she really did. She looked over her shoulder at the door. "And they have to be ok with what I do, they've given me a home, its the least I can do."

He opened his mought to protest, but she continued, doing her best to avoid that glint of anger in his eyes. "I'm not saying I want to, but we both learned our lesson a few years back. We don't always get what we want."

She had turned and started to walk away from him. And it was probably a very bad idea to stop and face him when she heard him mutter "You got what you wanted." But she did anyway.

There was nothing that could have stopped her so surely than that, there was fire in her eyes as she spoke. "Did I?" She looked like she could and would kill the next person to open their mouth. "How do you know what I wanted? And don't start all that 'you asked and I took him' crap. Repeating yourself is just pointless. I wanted to belong, to feel like I'm a part of something, and that something in my life was worth it. So no, I didn't get what I wanted. Thank you though, for bringing up memories I'd rather not relive."

"Then how about something we both want." He smiled, knew he'd corned his target. "Dinnner, tommorrow night, the hill."

Her mind wound until she remembered the hill he was talking about. She nodded, looked at him with cautious eyes. "Alright, just dinner. It can't be anything more."

His eyebrow quirked. "Is that a challange?"

"It's a promise." She turned back to the house as Ludo stepped outside. Nothing would happen, she wished she believed it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok, so this isn't my best chapter. I had this idea in my head and I only half got it right. I hope you like it anyway. The song in here is Thirty minutes by Tatu**, **and it just happened to fit best. Thankyou to my reviewers.**

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"I still think this is a bad idea." Hoggle leaned against the door and watched her pin up her hair.

"I've noticed." She smiled in the mirror. Standing up, she turned to face him, gave a small shrug. "I'm doing it anyway, so other than that, what do you think?"

He gave a noncommitted grunt before walking away. She laughed quietly as she looked over at the mirror one more time. The short black dress she wore

was, admittedly, the only thing she'd found suitable. She wasn't interested in his reaction, ok, so that was a lie. She was very interested in his reaction to her as a woman. But why not? She hadn't been on a date in two years, might as well have fun with it.

Yes, maybe she found him to be sexy and dangerous, a powerful combination. And maybe, just maybe, she found herself imaginining what it would be like for his hands to trace over all the places where the material stops. Who could blame her?

As she strapped on her high heeled sandles, she knew it could not affect her judgement. She had to think clearly tonight. There was no way she was giving into the desire she now knew she posessed. She hadn't even been aware she could feel something so powerful until yesterday, and she wouldn't allow it to take over again.

With her head held high, she said her goodbyes to her friends and stepped outside. She should have expected him to be waiting there. It was Jareth, after all. Still, it gave her heart a start to see him standing there. He too was dressed in all black, making him look twice as tall and five times as dangerous. Stepping foreward, he took her hand and kissed it. "You look amazing."

She gulped, " The same to you."

He chuckled darkly, she smiled as they began to walk, thier hands still entwined. She'd pull away but it seemed rude and it was kind of nice like this. The pressure on her stomach seemed to fall away, conversation was easy and light. She laughed at a joke that wasn't really even that funny and finally looked up when they stopped walking.

The hill looked so different, of course it could have been the stings of white lights. Or it could have been the nice white table lit by candlelight. Even more, it could have been the red rose he was holding out for her. She she didn't know if she could breath, it was all so beautiful. Taking the rose, she sniffed in the wonderful fragrance. "Your going a long way to prove me wrong."

"Or maybe I'm giving us both what we need." Jareth pointed out as he pulled out her chair. Obliging, she sat down, looked at the plate of food in front of her. It was perfect, nothing here to ruin a perfect moment. It would be harder to resist that she thought. She still had to try.

Dinner was pleasant, both making easy small talk, niether saying too much too soon. The evening was warm, just cool enough to be comfortable. Stars sparkled above them like the lights shining around them. Jareth rose, stood in front of her. "You still like dancing, right?"

She smiled innocently up at him, trying to calculate if it was safe. "I haven't danced in years."

"It's something you don't forget." He held out his hand. "Besides, what do we have to lose?"

"my sanity." She muttered as she took his hand, he laughed. He pulled her to her feet when she wasn't inclined to stand up. "There's no music." She pointed out.

He stepped away, reached under the table to reveal a boom box. Pressed play and familiar music started to play. She blinked, "You listen to TATU?"

"They happen to have some very good songs, this being one of thier more unique." He nodded as he took her hand, rested his other at her waist. She rested her hand on his shoulder as they began to move to the music.

_Out of sight, Out of mind  
Out of time, To decide  
Do we run?, Should I hide?  
For the rest, Of My life_

She sang the words quietly as they danced, not realizing how perfectly the words fit her thoughts.

_Can we fly?, Do I stay?  
We could lose, We could fail  
In the moment, It takes  
To make plans, Or Mistakes_

The tempo picked up, she spun under his lifted arm.

_Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye  
Thirty minutes, to alter our lives  
Thirty minutes, to make up my mind  
Thirty minutes, to finally decide  
Thirty minutes, to whisper your name  
Thirty minutes, to shoulder the blame  
Thirty minutes, of bliss, thirty lies  
Thirty minutes, to finally decide_

Her eyes closed as she relaxed into him. His hand slid to her back, holding her closer without really realizing it. This, after all, was where they were supposed to end up.

_Carousels, in the sky  
That we shape, with our eyes  
Under shade, silhouettes  
Casting shade, Crying rain..._

Her arm slid closer to his neck, thier bodies brushing against eachother. Each were lost in the words and the others eyes. Niether wanted to break the moment.

_Can we fly? Do I stay?  
We could lose, we could fail...  
Either way  
Options change, Chances fade  
Trains derail_

There was nothing but the two of them, her heart raced as she found herself lost in that. Her family was forgotten, thier opinion, everything that held her back. She made her choice in that second, the second she forgot her worries.

_Thirty minutes, a blink of an eye  
Thirty minutes, to alter our lives  
Thirty minutes, to make up my mind  
Thirty minutes, to finally decide  
Thirty minutes, to whisper your name  
Thirty minutes, to shoulder the blame  
Thirty minutes, of bliss, thirty lies  
Thirty minutes, to finally decide_

"Jareth," She sighed as she brushed her lips against his. His hand released hers and wrapped around her as they dove into eachother. Her arms wound around his neck, drawing him down closer to her. Thier lips met again and again as they gave into that desire. Her tongue raced over his bottom lip, giving him everything she held back. She'd made her choice.

_To decide_

_To decide,_

_To decide_

_To decide  
To decide  
To decide  
To decide  
To decide  
To decide  
_

And the moment she pulled away, she took a cleansing breath. Her decision weighed on her and she wasn't sure if she was happy or disappointed in herself. She hadn't even tried to resist. His hand still rested on her side, she knew he didn't want to let go, and neither did she. "To hell with it." She smiled as she kissed him again. Regrets were for tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

**So we've reached the last few chapters. For those interested, after I'm done with both projects I'm working with, I have another Tinman story in the works**

* * *

They spent hours with eachother, doing random stuff. It hadn't gotten old, the feeling they found when they danced. If anything it managed to grow stronger. Although, she did regret the problems it'd created with Hoggle.

He hadn't spoken to her for a week, and the first conversation after that had been awquard. He'd informed her that although he was disappointed in her, if Jareth made her happy he'd try to respect that. Ludo and Sir Didymus didn't seem to mind her choices. It'd been a little more than a month.

Which brings us to now, tuesday morning. Her hands were covered in dirt, the deep purple flower she'd pulled out of the ground with care lay in her basket. Standing up, she picked up the basket and carried it to the small gardening shed. With a practiced hand, she filled a small pot halfway with fresh dirt, placed the plant in, then filled in the rest with more dirt. She'd almost completed her potting when she felt arms slide around her waist. She laughed, turned in his arms. "You said you wouldn't sneak up on me anymore."

He shrugged with a smile. "I lied." She reached up and drew a line of dirt across his forehead. This closeness may have bugged her at first, but now she couldn't imagine staying away. But there was a sadness in his eyes, something that wasn't there before. "I need to talk to you about something, and your not going to like it."

She struggled to smile, failed. Nothing good could come of those words. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it."

He took a deep breath. "You need to go home."

"What?" Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling her gasp. Did he not want her anymore?

"You don't belong here." He explained patiently. "When you go back it'll be like nothing happened. You'll go back to the same second you left, or at least a few minutes after."

"But why? I thought..." Her words were interrupted by his lips. His kiss was soft, tender, heartbreaking. He'd never kissed her like that before, never taken that kind of care.

"You have to go." He just shook his head as he stepped away from her. "And you need to go now. You can say goodbye to your friends first."

He watched as she ran into the house, resisted the urge to tell her she didn't have to leave. He could already feel his heart breaking, but she couldn't be here when the goblins revolted, she couldn't be in the middle of that. He had to get her out, and now, even if it meant breaking her heart.

She'd get over it, he had to believe that. She'd get over it because there was no way this could have lasted anyway, there was no way she'd be able to love him the way that he loved her.

Then why did it feel so wrong? Then why was his heart splitting in two?

The tears in her eyes were hot, she wouldn't argue because if he didn't want her then there was no reason to stay. Hoggle was furious, Ludo was still a little confused, and Sir Didymus indignant. "I love you all." She sniffled from with in thier tight embrace.

Jareth tried to shake the guilt as she said goodbye to her family, she'd finally gotten the feeling of belonging she'd wanted and he was taking it from her. But her family would forgive him once they figured it out, even if she didn't.

"You won't stay away forever, Sarah." Hoggle shook his head, his eyes on Jareth, "Nothing can keep you away forever."

"I don't know, Hoggle." She smiled sadly, understanding passed between them. "Somethings may just keep anybody away."

Turning back to Jareth, she looked him in the eye. A shied came up, he wouldn't see her heart breaking as she spoke. "Take care of yourself."

"I will certainly try." He lied, "Here, take this." He handed her a single crystal. "You don't have to do anything to keep it, but you'll be able to see your friends whenever you want."

"Alright. Take me back." She took the crystal from him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Only one or two more chapters left. I don't think I made it entirely clear in my last chapter, he's sending her back to the day she left which means going back two years. Yeah, I don't like it but the story practically writes itself. Ok, so I'm done rambling now.**

* * *

She didn't want to talk, she wished her parents would stop trying to make her. Her hair was back to the same straight chocolate brown it had been, her skin paler. This was not her body, too young, too unfamiliar. School was depressing, she didn't even remember her teacher's names. This wasn't her life, she wanted to go home.

But there was no way and she knew it. Only one person could bring her back and he didn't want her. She had refused to come out of her room the fifth day, said she didn't feel well and didn't want to go to school. And when she knew her parents were at work, she went to action.

Carefully she wrote out her letter, placed it where she knew they'd find it. Taking her "Labyrinth" book and her own version of events that she had written down, she placed it in a locked box along with the crystal and another letter. This one she reread before she locked the box for a final time.

_Toby, _

_I know this seems unfair, I had hoped to explain it to you myself but I won't be here. You may remember somethings that don't quite make sense, and the books in here will really help. If mom and dad find this, they will think I've completely lost it, and thier probably right. I wish I could tell you that I'm alright and living a good life. But I can't promise that. I'll try and come back to visit, possibly. Maybe one day you'll even find your own way back to the Underground, good luck with that._

_I'm sorry for what happened and I love you,_

_Sarah_

Locking the box, she hid it in the back of the closet where nobody would look for years. She knew where the key would be hanging, knew her parents would find that when they go through her room. Which is why she'd already tied a note to it, "Give this to Toby when he's old enough." Maybe he'd wear it with him, maybe he'd hate her too much.

With a final sigh, she picked up the bag she'd already packed and took the first step out the door. The world around her seemed to buzz, she told herself it was just nerves. As she sat at the bus stop, she pulled a paper out of her pocket. Carefully unfolding in, she sucked in a sharp breath. It was the drawing of the two of them, they looked so happy and so in love, and that would never happen. Letting the paper fall to the ground, Sarah did the only thing she could. She buried her head in her hands and wept.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Hoggle was severely pissed off, he'd known Jareth was a snake since the beginning. Did he really think he could keep Sarah away from her family just because he told her to leave? Well, he'd just bring her back again. After all, he'd done it once before.

Yes, he'd brought Sarah back, and it had been good, until Jareth came back around. Thier dysfunctional family had been ripped apart once again and this time Hoggle wouldn't wait two years to fix it. Sarah needed to come home, everybody knew she wouldn't be happy where she was. This is where she had always belonged.

From where he stood in Sarah's garden, he could hear the commotion. It seemed to be coming from the castle, his attention focused on a large cloud of smoke that shot up with the sound of cannon fire. Sir Didymus ran through the gates that lead to the entrance to the labyrinth, screaming words Hoggle couldn't understand. "Slow sentences." Hoggle demanded when Sir Didymus finally stopped.

"There's a battle at the castle, some of the goblins are revolting. They will not win but we have to do something." Sir Didymus looked indignant, insistant, and riled.

Everything fell into place as Hoggle thought, Jareth had to have known this would happen, and he wouldn't want Sarah to get hurt. "Oh my god." He rolled his eyes even as he spoke. "Is that man really that stupid."

With that in mind, he set to work.


	13. Chapter 13

A hand touched her shoulder, her head jerked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears streamed down her cheek, and her throat was tight. Wiping at her eyes, she tried to believe she was seeing things, but she looked back and Hoggle was still standing there. "Your not supposed to be here."

He sat on the bench, looked out at the street. "I thought you might like to know what your idiotic boyfriend is up to."

Her breath hitched. "He's not my boyfriend, Hoggle. I thought that would have been clear when I left."

"You love him." Hoggle looked at her, saw it flicker through her eyes. Then he spoke again, resting his hand on her arm. "Don't deny it, I'm not stupid. And if his brain is really that fuddled, he's in love with you."

Her eyes narrowed, she couldn't figure his angle. "Don't say that."

"Don't argue with me." Hoggle stood up angrily. "Just listen to what I have to say."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jareth couldn't help but feel empty, even as cannon fire rang around him. This was the first time he'd ever actively fought in a battle and he didn't feel fear, he felt numb. His castle seemed vacant, he wasn't used to spending so much time alone anymore. It was too quiet, and he was lonely.

No, it was more than lonely, he was heartbroken. He knew he didn't have a right to be, but that didn't change anything. He missed her, and when this was all over he didn't know what he was going to do. He couldn't ask her to come back now, he didn't deserve to have her back. And even if she wanted him, it couldn't be the same. She would always remember the way he sent her away, the way he acted so harshly. Could she ever love him knowing that?

So he'd leave her where she was, first he had to survive this though. There was a slightly higher shot, he hadn't been paying attention. It struck him in the side, his vision burned red with pain. He pulled his hand away to look at the red liquid that covered it. Just perfect, another reason to hate himself. He wasn't even going to be alive long enough to pine for her. A goblin, one he assumed was on his side, forced him down so that he could look at the wound. She was young, obviously a medic. But still, he didn't like it.

"Stop," Jareth insisted, wondering where his authority had gone during the battle. " I need to fight along side my men."

"Nobody's fighting now, your highness." She smiled patiently as she examined his side, it didn't look too bad. She wondered if she should tell him he wasn't dying. Everyone knew about Sarah, and she personally thought he was wrong. No, she'd make him suffer a little first. "She's trying to convince them it's not worth it."

"Who?" Jareth tried to sit up, she shoved him back down.

"The human girl, she showed up with some dwarf named Hoggle and just stood in the middle of the battle. Nobody dared harm her, she's too gentle." The goblin shrugged innocently, watched two different kinds of pain evaporate from his face. "She's pretty angry though."

He smiled a little. She'd done it, she'd found a way to come back, for her friends. He knew she wouldn't have come for him, not after he'd sent her away. But of course she'd try to work things out, that was who she was.

The goblin watched as he relaxed a little, there was still a little grief in his eyes but he looked calmer. Now she could work on patching him up. "Anyway, she seemed to be getting through to them. If you had stopped to listen to them, this may have never happened."

"I know it." He winced as she put something on his wound, something that stang.

"She's here for you, sir." The goblin said finally, waited until he opened his eyes and looked at her. "I overheard her talking to her friend, she seemed upset. Something about a lie and the reason you sent her away. If I remember correctly, she was calling him a liar, and that you sent her away because you didn't want her. In your shoes, I'd be sure to tell her otherwise."

"You don't understand." He shook his head, winced again.

"I understand perfectly," She stopped, looked at him with annoyed and exasperated eyes. "You came pretty close to death out there. For most people, that would be a wakeup call. This world moves too fast for us to waste any time before we tell people how much we care."

"You speak boldly." His eyes narrowed. "Nobody ever dares speak like that." Exept Sarah, but he wouldn't say that.

"No sir, not boldly." She corrected him. "I just speak my mind."

"You're wise for your age." He continued.

She laughed. "I'm experienced, not wise."

"Experienced?" He closed his eyes.

"Four years married, with two little ones." She smiled proudly.

"Congratulations." He nodded, tried not to wish for that same kind of future with Sarah. He shouldn't want it, for her sake. But he did, so badly. And now that she was here, he wasn't going to be able to stay away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok, so this isn't the best ending but it's the only thing I could come up with. I hope you enjoyed it because I enjoyed writing it. From now on though, I will probably be more focused on Tinman than Labyrinth. If I come up with an idea I will certainly go for it though. Ok, annoying rant over with. Enjoy.**

* * *

She wasn't needed anymore, according to the goblin she'd spoken to. She'd successfully managed to talk the other side down, and no one was going to get hurt. Or she'd at least believed that until somebody told her that Jareth had been shot. Now she refused to leave, she had to know that he would be alright. But nobody seemed to know. Hoggle had tried to get her to come home, she'd stood her ground. She couldn't leave yet.

Her oversized blouse was so familiar and she was happy to have it back. It'd been a blessing to find out that she had her old body back, the one she'd grown used to. Her hair was the way it should be, and everything was back to normal. Everything exept this empty feeling she knew was lonelyness. If she could just see him again, it wouldn't matter how he felt. She could survive if he didn't want her, just as long as he was alright.

The door opened, another goblin stepped out. She looked up at Sarah with knowing eyes. "He'll be fine." She told her. "But he asks that you don't hang out around his room all night. You should go home."

Sarah stuffed her hands into her pockets, feeling useless. But something told her she needed to be here, and she didn't feel like challanging it. Besides, he couldn't tell her what to do. If she wanted to stand here for a week, it was her decision. "He's done getting everything he wants." She informed the goblin as she leaned against the wall. "I'm staying."

"Good for you." She nodded as she stepped back inside. The woman had guts, that gave her points in her book, and she knew when to stand up and get someone's attention. All around, she liked Sarah, a lot. And she knew her king liked her too, no matter what he tried to tell her.

Sarah waited, it felt like days but in actuality, the sun was just beginning to set. She stood at the other end of the hallway so that he wouldn't see her if he opened the door. The last thing he needed right now was to get angry. The view below was amazing, no traces of the battle remained. Everyone was so friendly to eachother, it was like this afternoon never happened.

That was good, forgive and forget. That way life could go on, no body had to get hurt if everyone forgave. Today she'd seen that in action, she'd been a part of it. And it still seemed like a miracle. She could have been killed, she was well aware of that. And yet, as she stood on the battle field, nobody was willing to take a shot. It was the first time she realized how much we really affect the people we meet on the street.

People were more apt to care if you cared about them. Which was why they had revolted. They figured they could do a much better job running the kingdom because they cared more. She'd sat and listened to them, heard what they had to say and then gave them a more satisfactory solution. They'd talk to him, instead of cannons and injuries, they'd talk face to face. And if he was smart, he'd listen.

He cracked open the door, he could sense her. She always brought along a presence, one he'd severely come miss. The smell of flowers, exotic and sweet, had him stepping into the hallway. She hadn't seen him yet, she was still staring out a window. Time seemed to stand still as he looked at her, took her all in. He knew how she would taste, how she would feel beneath his hands. And he knew that he wanted her more than oxygen. She was back, the heart he hadn't realized he considered home was back.

He loved her, it struck him hard and fast in the gut, he really did love her. This was where he needed to be, and he'd tried to deny himself that. Boy, was he stupid. Thank god she stood here, as if she just knew he'd need her.

He began to walk toward her, he couldn't get there fast enough. And yet the hallway seemed impossibly long.

She turned at the sound of footsteps, saw everything there, in the shape of the man she loved. The love she felt deep within her heart seemed to be reflected on his face. Everything seemed fine at that moment. He wanted her, Hoggle had been telling the truth, and he really did want her.

He watched her face light up as he moved faster. She closed the distance, throwing her arms around him. He buried his face in her hair, inhaled the sent of her. His arms wrapped around her and held her impossibly close. He was home, this was where he wanted to stay.

She seemed to collapse into him, her body was shaking slightly. He pulled away to look into her eyes, her cheeks were wet. It truely shook him to the core to think he had caused so much pain. She'd cried in front of him before, but that was out of fright and it hadn't fazed him so much because he hadn't care. But he had no idea what to do when he truely did care. He brushed a tear off of her cheek awquardly. "Why are you crying?"

"Sorry." She smiled weakly, reaching up to rub at her face with her sleeve. "Delayed reaction. Your hurt. You sent me away so that I would be safe, which is completely twisted by the way, and you end up getting shot. I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"Laugh." He suggested helplessly, panic in his eyes. And when she did, he felt just a little bit better. But the sadness was still there. "That wasn't the only reason though."

She shook her head, took a deep breath. "I sat out here, worried that he was wrong, that you didn't want me. He seems to have convinced himself that your in love with me. I tried to tell him he was wrong but I just don't know anymore."

"Why would you assume he was wrong, that I don't love you?" He tried to gather her to him but she kept her distance. In his arms, yet so far away.

"I guess I assumed you would just tell me, or somehow I would just know." She shrugged. "I assumed too much."

"I should have told you." He consented as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers gently. When he pulled away there was just a little humor in his eyes. "But I wasn't the only one keeping secrets. You weren't exactly saying anything either."

She shrugged again. " I was hoping you would say it first, I'd feel kind of foolish if you didn't love me and I told you that I loved you."

"Then we're both guiltly." He decided as he kissed her again. "I love you, Sarah, and your not leaving me again."

"I'll have to go back a few times, make sure Toby doesn't completely hate me when he finds my box." She informed him with a grin, "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I brought along a friend. I love you."

And happily ever afters never happen. Couples argue, tragedies happen. But they would do the best that they could. He swept her off her feet, and carried her the fifteen feet to his bedroom. They'd spend the night alone, and they'd spend it in bliss. And they all lived Happily ever now.


End file.
